1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a TTL automatic light modulating device for dividing the object field into plural light metering areas and effecting light modulation based on a light metering signal obtained from each of said areas.
2. Related Background Art
The Japanese Laid-open Patent Sho 60-15626 discloses an automatic light modulating camera.
This camera is provided, on the front face thereof, with a flash emission unit for main light emission, an infrared flash unit for preliminary light emission, and a light metering unit for receiving thus emitted lights. Said light metering unit is so constructed as to measure the light reflected from the object, in divided manner in the central area and the peripheral area of the object field.
In this camera, at first the infrared flash emission unit emits infrared light, and the light reflected from the object is measured in the central and peripheral areas of the object field. Based on the difference in the reflected lights, there is identified whether the main object is in the central or peripheral area. According to the result of said identification, the light metering method of said light metering unit is switched to the center priority metering, periphery priority metering or average metering.
Then the flash emission unit emits light in synchronization with the shutter releasing operation. In the course of said light emission, the reflected light from the object is measured in divided manner according to said switched light metering method, and the flash emission unit terminates light emission when the integrated reflected light reaches a predetermined value.
Also the Japanese Laid-open Patent Sho 62-90633 discloses an automatic light modulating camera which does not effect preliminary light emission, but which effects light metering in divided areas of the object field at the main flash emission and controls the amount of main flash emission by the detected maximum value.
In such conventional automatic light modulating cameras, if an article of high reflectance such as a metal screen or a mirror is present behind the main object or if an article is present in front of the main object, the position of the main object cannot be correctly recognized because of the excessively high light metering signal from the area in which such article is located, and the exposure for the main object may become incorrect by the influence of such article.
Also in such conventional automatic light modulating cameras, the main object may be over or under exposed because the light modulating level for terminating the main flash emission is defined to be constant.